In this age of specialization, Diane Downing is proving the value of the liberal arts degree she earned from Vassar College in 1977.

A political science major and student government president from Spring Valley, N.Y., Ms. Downing since coming to Cleveland after college has built a career working in government, outside government, for Republicans and for Democrats.

“For me, it's all just different opportunities to give back to the community I've had the privilege of coming to and getting to know and be a part of for the last 30-plus years,” she said.

In that time, she's helped the city climb out of default and build and run Cleveland Browns Stadium. Now she serves as senior vice president of corporate affairs for Huntington Bank in Cleveland.

“Even though I did not grow up in Cleveland, I really love the city,” she said. “From the time I came here to work in 1977, it was a place for young people to get involved early in a welcoming community.”

In addition, Ms. Downing continues to work for a variety of civic and nonprofit organizations, including the Bond Accountability Commission of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, College Now Greater Cleveland, the Gordon Square Arts District and The Presidents' Council Foundation.

Ms. Downing found her way to Cleveland after graduation with the guidance of Francine Taft, an active Vassar alumna whose husband Seth, a Republican, was at the time a Cuyahoga County commissioner. He hired Ms. Downing first as an intern and then as a full-time aide.

From there, in 1980, she went to work for Republican Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich and stayed on in 1990 with Mayor Michael R. White, a Democrat, when Mr. Voinovich left to run for governor of Ohio.

She left City Hall herself in 1995 to be assistant executive director of the Ohio Lottery Commission and served there two years before returning to Michael White's City Hall to be the project director of the new Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Ms. Downing survived that thankless task with her reputation as an able administrator intact — the decision of Mayor White to fund and build the stadium was controversial and the project ended up over budget.

When the project was completed on time in August 1999, The Plain Dealer cheered her for sacrificing “nearly three years of her life to oversee construction of the new Cleveland Browns Stadium. It wasn't on budget (she wasn't the one who made that promise), but it was on time and is an outstanding facility.”

In fact, the Browns ended up hiring her to run their new stadium. In 2008, she left the Browns to run the district office of Sen. George Voinovich, serving in that role until the senator retired in 2010 and she joined Huntington.

“Diane has helped shape the direction of the community,” said Dan Walsh, Huntington regional president of the Greater Cleveland market. “She has had such a deep impact in all corners of the Cleveland community and continues to do so as she has throughout her career.”

Diane and her husband, attorney Tom Corrigan, live in Cleveland and have three grown children.

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